After the U.S. invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein, the next American task was the rebuilding of Iraq. Initially in the hands of the military, it shifted to a civilian corps that included a number of State Department professionals, working in Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

One of those who went to Iraq to help was career Foreign Service officer Peter Van Buren, who was tasked there for a year. But from his first day in Iraq, Van Buren realized this was not going to be what he expected. In fact the reality of what was going on around him was beyond what anyone may have expected. His new book is called “We Meant Well.”

Listen to Peter Van Buren

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Don’t see a player here? Click on this link to listen, or right click and “Save As” to download.

Army Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan came home from two tours of duty in Iraq with the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart. He also returned with a damaged back, a blown-out knee, severe head injuries, blinding headaches, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

After his return to the states, the pressuress exacted their toll. Montalvan began drinking too much, he lost his marriage, he fell victim to agoraphobia. That was before Tuesday.

Tuesday is a golden retriever, a service dog trained to assist the disabled. Montalvan didn’t know it at the time, but Tuesday had had a difficult history, as well.Now Montalvan tells their story — two wounded warriors who found and healed each other — in his book “Until Tuesday.”

Listen to Luis Carlos Montalvan

Don’t see a player here? Click on this link to listen, or right click and “Save As” to download.

When she went to Baghdad in 2007 Kelly Kennedy had something most other embedded journalists don’t have — combat experience. She’s a veteran of Desert Storm and Mogadishu, and joined Charlie Company, 1/26th Infantry, to cover it for Army Times.

But as it turns out, even her military experience couldn’t prepare her for what she witnessed with Charlie Company. Daily fights with insurgents, criminals, and mujahedeen eventually cost the company 31 lives, a higher toll than that suffered by any other such unit. Kennedy tells their stories in her book “They Fought For Each Other.”

Listen to Kelly Kennedy

Don’t see a player here? Click on this link to listen, or right click and “Save As” to download.